Dark Lord

Dark Lords and Ladies are a fanon concept widespread in Harry Potter fanfiction.

Description
At its simplest expression, the idea of Dark Lords as understood by fanfiction is that many stories will hold that Lord Voldemort was only the latest in a long series of Dark Wizards who called themselves Dark Lords and ruled through fear and raw magical power, with armies of like-minded minions at their beck and call. This idea is non-canonical, but many believe otherwise, often misremembering Gellert Grindelwald to have been called a Dark Lord in the books, which, although he certainly approaches the fandom's idea of a Dark Lord, he was not. Other likely individuals to be cited as historical Dark Lords are Salazar Slytherin and Herpo the Foul. The idea may be taken further, with Dark Lords being associated with certain types of fanonical Dark Magic, making them all as corrupted by their evil power as Voldemort was.

List of Stories Featuring Dark Lords

 * Harry Potter and a Grandfather's Gift
 * Souls Abound
 * Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality